


my heart is my armor (she's the tear in my heart)

by pondify



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Named Reader, Other, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Romance, a little monster hate but nothing serious, slight language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 02:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6593767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pondify/pseuds/pondify
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You just moved to Ebott three months ago, at the end of the summer, to attend college. It’s been a little over a year since the monsters and that little human, Frisk, broke the barrier and came out from underneath the mountain. Since then, the monsters… haven’t received the best reception from humans, to say the least. </p><p>You’re walking home from class one night, headphones in and hands in your pockets, when you hear a faint cry that cuts through your blaring music and stops you in your tracks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my heart is my armor (she's the tear in my heart)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [foursetsofcorsets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foursetsofcorsets/gifts).



> ok!! so!!!! i wrote this as a super late birthday gift to my wonderful amazing lovely stunning absolutely incredible best friend and platonic partner natalie!!! (aka [foursetsofcorsets](http://archiveofourown.org/users/foursetsofcorsets/pseuds/foursetsofcorsets)) i love you so much darling, i'm so sorry i didn't do anything for your birthday sooner. i hope you enjoy. <3
> 
> with that out of the way, this story's reader is **named** and has a **set appearance**. if this bothers you then don't read it. thanks. uwu

The first time you meet Undyne, she almost kills you.

You just moved to Ebott three months ago, at the end of the summer, to attend college. It’s been a little over a year since the monsters and that little human, Frisk, broke the barrier and came out from underneath the mountain. Since then, the monsters… haven’t received the best reception from humans, to say the least. Ebott is a mostly monster-populated town now, with you being one of the only humans that  _ wanted _ to live there. The rest of the humans are ones that weren’t able to move out, but most are just grumpy rather than outright hostile. Fortunately for you, most of the monsters you meet are friendly, if not a little wary.

The key word being  _ ‘most’ _ , of course.

You’re walking home from class one night, headphones in and hands in your pockets, when you hear a faint cry that cuts through your blaring music and stops you in your tracks. Frowning, you hit pause and tug the earbuds out of your ears, listening for the source of the sound.

There it is again. You stuff your headphones in your pocket, pretending to forget the fact that they’ll be hopelessly tangled later, and follow the soft cry until you reach a dark, shadowed alley.

“Hello?” you call out, standing at the entrance of the alley. “Is someone there?”

It’s silent for a moment, then – “Help…” a voice whimpers, and that’s all the encouragement you need. You hurry down the narrow street, and as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you catch sight of a figure lying on its side halfway in.

You drop to your knees beside the figure, making sure not to get too close so you’re not crowding them, and slide your heavy backpack off your shoulder. “Hey,” you say softly, reaching out. “Are you all right?”

The figure, who you’ve discerned to be a monster, shakes their head weakly, eyelids fluttering. God, they can’t be more than a kid, you think grimly as your eyes roam over them. Small and yellowish, with spikes on the back of their head. As they struggle to sit up, you see that they don’t have arms.

“Stop that,” you say, gentle but firm, as you rest a hand on their shoulder. “You don’t need to sit up. It’s okay, I’m going to help you.”

You give them another once-over – you can’t see any wounds on their body, but they’re clearly been beat up pretty badly. You remember vaguely that monsters’ bodies are mostly magic, according to one of your professors. Either way, you’re completely out of your depth, and you chew on your lip in thought, rocking back on your heels.

“HEY!”

You startle at the loud voice, turning to see a tall monster towering over you with a glowing teal spear in their hand and an utterly terrifying snarl on her face. The spear illuminates their features, and you make out a single yellow eye (the other appears to be covered by an eye patch), blue scaly skin,  _ incredibly _ sharp teeth, and long red hair slicked back into a ponytail. 

“Step away from the kid, punk,” she growls, “or I’ll kick your teeth in.”

_ Shit _ , you chant in your head as you stare up at her, frozen in fear.  _ Shit, shit, shit. _

“W-wait a second!” you gasp after a moment, finding your voice. “I’m just trying to help!”

The fish-like monster seems taken aback by this, narrowing her golden eye slightly. “Go on,” she says suspiciously.

You stumble to your feet, careful not to trip over the kid. “I was walking home and I heard them call out,” you explain hurriedly. “I promise I didn’t attack them or anything.”

_ Please don’t hurt me,  _ you add mentally, wringing your hands and anxiously awaiting her reply. At least she appears to be considering your words, although she still hasn’t put down her spear.

The kid behind you groans again in pain, bringing your attention back to the more pressing matter at hand. You kneel down again, ignoring the fish woman’s heightened glare, and gently scoop the kid up into your arms.

“Look, it doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. This kid needs our help,” you say quietly, looking up over your shoulder at her. “So are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me get them to a hospital?”

For a moment, her intimidating scowl doesn’t change, and you’re afraid that she’s actually going to run you through with her spear. But then she sighs heavily and twirls the glowing weapon in a frankly impressive display, and it dissipates into the air, fading from your sight within seconds.

“Alright, punk,” she mutters, not meeting your gaze. “Come with me. I know somewhere that we can take them.”

Mumbling a quick thanks, you get to your feet, still cradling the dinosaur-like monster in your arms. “How far is it?” you ask anxiously, wanting the kid to get treatment as soon as possible.

“It’s a pretty short walk. Even a puny human like you can handle it,” the woman says, but there’s no real bite in her tone. She takes a step, then pauses, glancing back. “Is that your bag?”

“Oh, crap, yeah.” You sigh, looking back to where your twenty-pound, homework-filled backpack sits. “I forgot about that. Uh…”

The fish woman is already going over to your bag, bending down and lifting it. You struggle with carrying it around on a daily basis, but she swings it onto her shoulder like it’s nothing, and even under her leather jacket you can tell that she’s ripped. 

You’re not drooling. You’re  _ not _ . Not even a little bit. Definitely not admiring the monster that was literally threatening to kill you less than five minutes ago.

“Well?” she says gruffly, shifting her weight, and you realize you’re staring at her. “Are you coming or what, punk?”

“Sorry,” you say, cheeks flushing, as you follow her out of the alley.

The fish woman leads you into the nicer, slightly more suburban part of Ebott (which means away from your shitty apartment). Her pace is fairly quick, but not difficult to keep up with, especially since she’s carrying your backpack for you. The monster kid is surprisingly light, but after ten or fifteen minutes your arms are starting to ache.

You’re lagging behind a little when she finally glances back at you to see if you’re still following. When she sees your wrinkled brow and flushed cheeks, she rolls her eye. “C’mon, wimp,” she says. “We’re almost there.”

Fortunately for you, “almost there” means only one more block. The fish woman finally stops in front of a tall, white house and knocks on the door four times in rapid succession. She steps back to give room for the door to open and bounces on her heels impatiently, stealing a glance at the now-unconscious kid in your arms.

“MK’s a sweet kid,” she mutters suddenly, eye still fixed on the kid. “They can be a little much sometimes, but they're sweet. And they're just a  _ kid _ . Why anyone would do this is just…” Her fist clenches at her side.

“I agree,” you say vehemently, and she looks up at you in surprise. “Monsters are really a lot nicer than humans. They don’t deserve the sh – um, crap that they get from most humans.”

The woman is staring at you openly now, sharp-toothed mouth hanging open slightly. “… Yeah, you’re right,” she says eventually.

“I’m Natalie,” you blurt out suddenly.

She blinks, looking at you again and raising an eyebrow. “Undyne,” she says, holding out a hand to you.

You shrug your shoulders, gesturing that you can’t shake her hand because you’re still holding the kid (MK?), and grin apologetically. “It’s nice to meet you,” you tell her, “although I kinda wish it was under different circumstances.”

“Same here, punk,” she says, barking a laugh.

It occurs to you that the door still hasn’t opened, and you look askance at it. “Do you think anyone’s home?” you say.

Undyne scowls. “I’m just going to call her,” she mumbles, pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing a number before holding it up to her fin-shaped ear.

“Hey, Tori,” she says after a moment. “Yeah, it’s Undyne. I’m at your house right now, can you let me in?” Another pause. “Yes, I KNOW it’s the middle of the night! I found Monster Kid lying in an alley – they're hurt really bad,” she snaps. “I brought them here because I don’t know where they lives and you have strong healing magic. Please let us in?”

You watch her, slightly fascinated, as she argues with whoever’s on the other line. After another short pause, she sighs. “Okay. Thanks, Tori. I owe you.”

Then she hangs up and shoves her phone into her pocket again, looking over at you again. “Sorry about that,” she mutters. “She’s coming.”

As if on cue, the door opens to reveal a tall, white, goat-like monster wearing a purple robe and wearing curlers in her ears (what?). She looks at Undyne, then you, then the kid in your arms, and her caramel-colored eyes widen slightly.

“Oh, dear,” she says. “Please, come in, both of you.”

You follow Undyne and the other monster into the house, feeling a little awkward. It’s way nicer than you’re used to, and you feel completely out of place in your hoodie and sweatpants. This was not at all how you were planning to spend your evening.

“Over here,” the goat woman says softly, leading you to a large couch. She instructs you to lay the kid down, so you do, then take a few steps back to give her some space to do whatever it is that she needs to.

Undyne comes up beside you and sets your bag down at your feet. “Hey, human,” she says, voice low.

“Yeah?” You glance over at her, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Uh…” She shifts uncomfortably, not meeting your eyes. “About that whole thing back there… I just thought… since I heard MK scream, and then saw you there crouched over them… I guess I just kind of assumed the worst. So, uh, I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m sorry???”

Despite the situation, a smile forms on your lips. “Hey, don’t worry about it,” you tell her quietly, tilting your head. “I understand completely.”

“Huh?” Undyne looks completely caught off-guard. “Are you  _ forgiving  _ me, punk?”

“Um… yes?” you try, making a face. Was that the wrong answer?

She stares at you for a moment longer before her face breaks out into a huge grin. “Wow, you really ARE a wimpy little punk!” she cackles – fortunately at a low volume, because the fluffy goat woman is still healing MK. “I totally knew it!!!”

“T-thank you…?” you stammer as your cheeks heat up. You can’t really tell if it’s a compliment or not, but if the wide smile on her face is anything to go by, you’ve said the right thing.

The goat monster at the couch rises and comes over to you and Undyne. She’s about a foot taller than Undyne, which makes her nearly two feet taller than you, because Undyne has to be pushing six feet and you’re only a few inches over five.

“Thank you for bringing them here, my child,” she says, and oh, she’s talking to  _ you _ . “It was very brave of you to carry them all this way through the city.”

“I, uh, it was nothing,” you babble, waving your hands around and literally smacking Undyne in the face. She reels, looking stunned, and the white goat monster gasps audibly.

You turn to her with wide eyes, hands covering your mouth now. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry!” you cry. “Are you all right?”

There’s a long, awkward silence that stretches on for at least twenty seconds. Then Undyne suddenly grins and grabs your hand, shaking it vigorously. “Ha! Are you kidding?! That was a GREAT punch!” she says. “And don’t worry, you didn’t hurt me! I’m a lot tougher than  _ that _ ! Fuhuhuhu!”

She’s still shaking your hand, squeezing it so tightly you feel like it might break. You turn your head toward the goat woman with a strained smile, looking up at her face. “I’m Natalie,” you offer weakly.

“Greetings! I am Toriel,” she replies, seeming completely unconcerned with the fact that Undyne is gripping your hand with all the force of a bear trap. 

“N-nice to meet you,” you say as Undyne finally releases you. You wince, gingerly flexing your fingers, but nothing appears to be broken. “Uh, I should probably be getting home soon, but –”

“ _ What? _ ” Undyne says. “No way, punk. You can’t walk home  _ now _ . It’s like, one a.m.! Where do you live, anyway?”

Your face turns red, which is telling. You’ve always been a terrible liar. “Um. The other side of town?”

Toriel places a soft paw-hand on your shoulder. “You must stay here tonight,” she tells you. “I insist on it, my child.”

You’re sure your face is as red as a tomato by now. “I couldn’t impose on you like that, Ms. Toriel,” you say. “And I have classes in the morning…”

“Well, I shall drive you home, then,” Toriel says insistently. “You too, Undyne. I already must drive Kid home, it will not be much trouble to drive you as well.”

“Thanks, Tori,” says Undyne. “Want me to take MK out to your car?”

“If you do not mind.”

Undyne leans down and picks up your backpack before you can protest, slinging it onto her shoulders and going over to lift MK off the couch as well. “C’mon, punk,” she grunts, heading for the door.

You follow her, almost tripping in your haste. “I can carry my bag myself,” you say.

“This thing weighs at least twenty pounds,” she retorts, throwing a glance over her shoulder at you. “It’s nothing to me, but I know you humans are pretty weak.”

You blink. “Oh. Thank you,” you mumble. Normally you wouldn’t let someone get away with that, but arguing with Undyne is a feat you are definitely not up to attempting right now.

When you reach the car, you quickly reach around Undyne, opening the door for her so she doesn’t have to maneuver around MK in her arms. She gives you a look of gratitude as she climbs in and buckles the child into the right-side seat, sitting in the middle and putting your bag on the floor.

You walk around to the other side and get in as well, sitting on the left side. Toriel’s silver Mini Cooper is a little cramped, and your shoulder bumps Undyne’s as you fasten your seatbelt.

“Sorry,” you mumble.

“Don’t apologize, nerd,” she says quietly. “Look, I really appreciate you doing this. I said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t. Trust. Humans. But you’re different, Natalie. You actually help monsters.”

You let out a tiny, completely inelegant squeak, your cheeks turning bright red.  “I-it’s no problem,” you stutter. “I believe monsters deserve the same rights as humans. If that was a human kid in that alley I would’ve done exactly the same thing.”

Undyne smiles at you, and it’s a little softer than before this time. “That’s exactly what I mean,” she says. “You might be a wimpy little punk, but you’re a wimpy little punk with a big heart.”

You’re sure your face can’t get any redder. “Th-thank you,” you manage. “And, um, y-you’re a good person too, Undyne. You were gonna protect that kid no matter what the cost was.”

She laughs. “Yeah, I guess you’re right!”

The driver’s-side door opens, and Toriel climbs into the car. “I apologize for making you two wait,” she says in her soft, lilting voice. “We should return Kid to their parents first. Is that all right with you two?”

“I don’t mind,” you say.

“Don’t worry about us, Toriel,” Undyne adds.

All four of you are silent during the drive. MK is still sleeping, Toriel is focusing on driving, Undyne seems lost in thought, and you’re mostly just trying to stay awake. Being in a car at night is surprisingly relaxing, and the city lights passing the window start to blur in front of your eyes. 

You don’t know how much time passes before you sense the car coming to a stop. Toriel gets out and comes around the car to take MK inside. Undyne starts to get up too, but Toriel tells her that she can carry the child just fine on her own and that Undyne should stay in the car.

Mumbling irritably, Undyne slumps in her seat, folding her arms. You smile a little, wondering absently if she’s going to move over to the other side of the car now that MK is gone.

She doesn’t.

“Hey,” she says, pulling you out of your thoughts. “Why’s your bag so heavy, anyway?”

You chuckle. “College,” you explain. “I’m a musical theatre major, and I have a lot of standard classes, too. There’s a lot of books and notebooks in there.”

“Theatre, huh?” Undyne considers this. “That’s pretty nerdy.”

“I guess,” you say uncertainly. 

Undyne laughs. “That’s a good thing, punk! If you’re passionate about it, you should do it, with everything you’ve got!”

Then she punches your shoulder, and  _ fuck _ , this girl can hit. You’re pretty sure she didn’t  _ mean  _ to hurt you, but still. You make a valiant attempt to hide your grimace, and rub your arm when she’s not looking.

Toriel taps on your window, and you open the door, looking questioningly up at her. “Is everything okay?” you ask.

“Oh, yes, of course,” she’s quick to assure you. “The child’s parents just want to thank you and Undyne for helping them.”

It turns out that MK had left the house earlier that evening to play with their friends, but had never come home. They hadn’t been too worried at first – it seems that the kid disappearing for hours at a time is something of a regular occurrence – but when they didn’t come home by midnight, they’d begun to grow concerned.

Both parents thank you and Undyne profusely for finding their child, and you’re fumbling for a reply when Undyne speaks up. “It was all Natalie, honestly! They’re the one who found MK. I just led them to Toriel’s house.”

You shake your head. “That’s not true. I never would’ve known what to do if Undyne hadn’t showed up,” you say.

“We’re all very grateful to both of you,” MK’s mother intervenes, apparently guessing how easily the conversation could go south. 

You’re really starting to feel exhausted – it’s nearly two in the morning by now – and all you want to do is go home and sleep. Toriel, who you’re quickly discovering is an extremely maternal person, seems to sense your tired state and manages to extract you and Undyne from the house before too much longer.

You pretend not to notice that Undyne sits right by you again. It doesn’t mean anything, and you wouldn’t care even if it did, you  _ wouldn’t. _

Tiredly, you give Toriel directions to your apartment building, and you watch as the houses get shabbier and the streets get darker until you’re in front of your worn building.

“This is me,” you say, grabbing your backpack by the straps and opening the door. “Thank you for the ride, Ms. Toriel.”

“Wait a second.” Undyne narrows her eye. “Natalie, you live  _ here _ ?”

“Yeah,” you say.

She exhales a humorless laugh, shaking her head. “No offense, punk, but your house is  _ shit _ .”

“None taken,” you tell her, smiling dryly. “I agree.”

Toriel purses her lips, but doesn’t speak other than a “good night, my child” as you get out of the car and head for your building. Distantly you hear Undyne get out and switch to shotgun behind you.

When you’re on the front step, you turn back to wave at the two women in the car. They both wave back, although you notice that Undyne looks extremely dissatisfied about something, and you see her mouth moving as Toriel begins to pull out. 

Normally you would wonder, but you’re far too exhausted to care about what she said. You trudge up the four flights of stairs to your apartment, dragging your bag behind you. By the time you get into your room, you’re practically dead on your feet, and you only just manage to kick off your shoes before collapsing on your bed.

You’d never admit it to anyone later, but that night your dreams are filled with the image of a tough, red-haired fish monster who calls you “punk”.


End file.
